Virtue's Last Reward is the second of three cᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚhapters in the excellent Zero Es💧cape series of visual novels from Spike Chunsoft. Protagonist Sigma and eight other characters compete in the Nonary Game, as its predecessor (Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors) had before it.
That's all well and good, but it's also a challenging game with a strong enough story and plentiful enough twists that it's well worth exploring every story route to its (often bitter) end. Seasoned visual novel veterans will have an easier time of it than newly-minted VN fans, but if we've done our job right with this guide, there will be something for everyone here to help players along in Sigma's dark and perilous journey.
Don't Use the In-Game Notepad
It's neat that Virtue's Last Reward has its own little notepad. You can scribble stuff down to jog your memory later. If you're an ant with a pen the size of a microbe.
Don't use the in-game notepad. Virtue's Last Reward's got hints to memorize, codes to recall, and even character quirks for future consideration. There is nowhere near enough space on this thing for it to help you more than a couple of times throughout Sigma's adventure, and at that point, why even start? Use your phone. Or your iPad's Apple Pencil, if you're feeling ritzy. Or just, you know, use your own notepad. Like a pro.
When in Doubt, Click Again
During escape room segments, examine objects more than once. Sometimes, the text will update, offering fresh hints you wouldn't have otherwise received. This is something a surprising number of players miss until later parts of the game when a particularly devious puzzle drives them wild, and they feel a primal compulsion to just click and click and click in the hopes that the problem will solve itself.
In a very loose sense, the problem sometimes can solve itself – when, lo and behold, further script stuff clicks with that repair tool you just knew had something to do with the way out.
Don't Stop Touching That Dial
Here's a weird one. Every safe in Virtue's Last Reward has two passwords. Not one. Two. "Great! That doubles my chances of getting it right." Well, yes and no. You see, the first password is what you'd expect it to be: a chance to finally snag that elusive key that will either let you continue the story or, at minimum, push you ahead to the next task.
The second password, on the other hand, offers seemingly supplemental information that aids in providing Sigma with a more thorough understanding of the Nonary Games and related matters. We say "seemingly supplemental" because these hidden bits of narrative contextualization are all necessary for players to reach the true ending. And if you're playing a visual novel, you probably want to eventually experience its true ending.
So, yes. Scour the game for these extra passwords. You'll be glad you did.
Replay Story Segments and Make Different Choices
Whenever you've finished a story segment and the opportunity presents itself, dive straight back into it and explore other plot decisions. Sometimes, your actions will seem irrelevant in the here and now but matter more down the line. And sometimes, your actions will have instant ramifications, unlocking another story path right before your eyes.
The earlier you let Virtue's Last Reward's possible outcomes branch, the more quickly you will see all its endings. Go forth, intrepid Sigma, and turn that branching illustration into something of a miniature family tree right out of Crusader Kings.
Take A Few Breaks Along the Way
We mean that literally. Listen, we realize that you might not greet a cliché Nintendo-style health warning with the warmest regard when it eats up one of the five slots in a tips guide. But the suggestion harbors a greater degree of relevance when you're handling a game like Virtue's Last Reward.
Calling this game "wordy" would be an understatement. Labeling it "extremely wordy" would mean we're attempting to enhance the sentence with a word that is, in actuality, weak enough to diminish the impact. Turning this grammatical analysis into three full sentences is probably the tex🐭tbook definition of padding, but here we are.
The point is, there are a lot of words in Virtue's Last Reward. Even if you're the type of person who revels in finishing a sizable book, cover-to-cover, in just a couple of sittings, we still recommend pacing yourself. Unless you mute the game's voiceovers, you're at the mercy of every character's variable speaking speed. You're going to be lounging around for many hours.
Never mind the physical impact. Think about the impact on your brainpower. Odds are, a puzzle that wouldn't have stumped you for more than a few moments five hours ago will drain you for far longer. Remember, you're not Sigma. You can afford to relax a little.